Discover our helpful guide where we answer all your questions about what aged care in Australia is and how your site can provide the best care for residents.
The Australian government spent $23.6 billion on aged care in 2020-2021, with 60% of this expenditure being spent on residential aged care.
We've explained everything you need to know about what aged care is, including the types of aged care services available, how the Australian aged care system works, what aged care providers help with and more.
One of the options that the aged care system offers is home care, whereby the aim of this is to keep the individual independent for as long as possible.
This type of aged care site helps those who are unable to live in their own home and need support in their everyday living.
This type of aged care helps those who need support following a hospital stay, those who need restorative care and those who need respite care.
Read our blog to find out more about what are the 3 main types of aged care services in Australia.
Visit the My Aged Care website to explore the full range of criteria for government-funded aged care.
Those working in aged care will often have to help with residents' mealtimes. For older persons who need aged care, maintaining their dignity and making sure they're being treated with respect is key. For instance, aged care at mealtimes isn't just about feeding residents food but also taking time to chat and explain the content of their plate whilst they're eating and ensuring they're getting the right nutrients. Likewise, aged care staff have to ensure that all allergies and dietary requirements are noted and catered for.
When working in aged care it’s easy to forget the importance of providing social interaction for individuals. For instance, if you’re visiting an elderly individual in their own home, you may be the only person they see for days, especially if their family live far away. Arguably, that’s why working in specialist services such as aged care is so diverse because you have to wear many hats – a protector, carer and provider, as well as being a friend and good company.
As well as day-to-day tasks, those working in aged care also arrange and provide residents in aged care homes with a range of social activities. This is one of the many benefits of aged care for residents as it gives them the chance to interact with others and engage in fun activities, which is key for their well-being.
Within the residential aged care system, whilst some sites may be fully embracing the digital era, some are still relying on paper files. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission report conducted by the Australian government in January – March 2022, reported that not having effective governance systems was ranked 6th out of 10 for reasons that non-compliance was found in residential aged care sites.
Those working in aged care services must digitalise their systems to improve their efficiency, keep up with changes within aged care, as well as increase the data security of patient records. Likewise, having a digital system to manage your residential care home will help you to manage the day-to-day running of your home, so that you can focus greater attention on your residents and care staff, rather than getting bogged down in paperwork.
A typical day for someone working in aged care could involve a range of activities, and everyday tasks such as helping with residents' personal care needs, overseeing that medication is taken, helping with meals, engaging with residents' social activities and more. The key thing to remember is that for someone working in aged care, every day is different, but providing quality care and making sure that residents are safe, is the most important part of the job.
Implementing an aged care software like Person Centred Software’s operations management software, designed to help you improve the quality of life for your residents and care staff by making the operations of your site seamless and easy.
The software consists of a range of features, enabling you to manage your aged care site communications, activities, maintenance, dining, customer feedback and more, all in one easy-to-use place.
Using the software means you'll no longer need to get bogged down with endless amounts of admin, paperwork and resident records. You can manage all this information in one centralised place!
The Maintenance and Asset Management feature can help your site streamline your maintenance processes, helping to foster greater communication between staff and the maintenance team, as well as meeting regulatory compliance.
Your staff won't be burdened with endless amounts of admin. Instead, they can focus on what they entered the healthcare profession to do – look after and care for others. In turn, this will allow your residents to receive better care from your staff and will improve their well-being and happiness with your site. The software’s Lifestyle Management tool has an array of functionalities, such as a newsfeed, announcements, activity management calendar and more, to help your residents feel part of your aged care site's community.
We all know how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic was, particularly for health professionals, across the globe. Having a digital system that allows you to manage everything in one place will allow you to be more agile in responding to change. For instance, if you suddenly receive an influx of residents, you'll be able to quickly adapt to this change and get their records updated quicker, rather than getting overwhelmed by paperwork and admin.
Whether it's a family member, contractor, delivery driver, staff member or resident, the software’s Visitor Management module will allow you to track exactly who entered your care home and when they left, giving you tighter control and knowledge over exactly who visited your aged care sites.
The software’s Feedback & Quality Management module will enable your aged care site to receive quality feedback from family members and residents. This critical module will help you ensure that your aged care services are performing to the best they can be.
Using the software’s Customer Relationship Management module will help you organise your prospect information all in one place, including new enquiry and site tour management, as well as a sales dashboard to help you analyse your sales activities.
If you want to find out how our operations management software can help you manage your aged care home, book a demo with us or get in contact.
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